


The New Fox

by xsmith



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, Mentions of other characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2020-05-13 18:36:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19256872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xsmith/pseuds/xsmith
Summary: “Is something wrong, my Lady?”“No. Yes. It's just...” she sighed. “We can't call on Rena Rouge any more.”Lila's efforts to separate Marinette from her friends have begun to bear fruit, and Alya is no longer speaking to her. So now Ladybug has a problem. They need to choose a new Fox, but she doesn't know where to start. Thankfully Chat has some ideas...





	1. Chapter 1

“I was about half-way through my usual rout when I noticed someone climbing through a window, and I thought 'well, that looks suspicious!' So I hopped down...”

It was a quiet night, and Chat was enjoying the chance to spend time with his partner, telling her about a home robbery he'd foiled on his last solo patrol. It was always nice to catch up like this, to just sit and talk without having to worry about rushing off to fight, or transform back into themselves. Truly, nights like this were something to be treasured, even if Ladybug did seem a little distracted at the moment. But she was here, and that made it the highlight of his week.

“...So then I told the lady she should really keep everything locked, because these unsavoury types will seize any window of opportunity!” Chat grinned over at his Lady, waiting for her to roll her eyes and groan like she usually did.

Nothing. Not even a twitch.

“My Lady?” He tentatively reached out and touched her shoulder. She jumped.

“Oh! Yes, good job Kitty, well done.” She tried to smile, but it was half-hearted at best, and slipped off her face again after a few seconds.

Chat frowned. “Is something wrong, my Lady?”

“No. Yes. It's just...” she sighed. “Something happened. Nothing serious! But kind of serious? That's the wrong word... It's just a thing, and it's been going on for weeks, and I maybe should have told you but I was hoping I could deal with it – and I have no idea how I would have told you anyway because it ties into my identity and-”

“My Lady, calm down!” Chat grabbed her shoulders. “What are you talking about? What should you have told me?”

“We can't call on Rena Rouge any more.”

Chat straightened in alarm. “She quit?”

“No, she didn't. I...can't work with her any more. Something happened, and I just... I can't trust her. Maybe not Carapace either, I'm not sure yet.”

“Oh.” Chat hesitated. “Is... is it something you want to talk about?”

“No. Well, yes, but... it's tied in with my identity. I can't go into details without basically revealing my name.” Ladybug sighed. “I don't know what to do Chat. I've been racking my brain all day, trying to think of someone else who we can trust with the Fox Miraculous and... and I just can't...”

“It's OK LB,” Chat smiled in what he hoped would be a reassuring way. “We'll figure it out. Maybe it would help if we narrowed down what sort of qualities we're looking for in a new team-mate? Obviously it'll have to be someone who can deal with pressure...and since the Fox's power is illusions maybe some one creative would be good?”

“...That's actually a good point. Probably should have taken that into account when I picked Rena in the first place.” She pursed her lips in thought. “Someone with good organisational skills maybe? So helping us doesn't cause too many problems for them at school and stuff.”

“They'll need to be in fairly decent shape, so they can keep up with us. But not like muscled, 'cause the Fox isn't meant to be a heavy hitter in a fight. I mean, I know Rena liked to be in the thick of things, but an illusionist doesn't exactly scream 'brawler' to me, you know?”

“Someone who isn't like, a huge fan of ours. I mean, no offence to Rena, but she was a bit of a fangirl. We should maybe avoid that this time, find someone who isn't too star-struck to take it seriously.”

“And we should definitely find someone we can both get along with. No point bringing another Chloe into the team.”

“So to sum up, we need to find someone who is creative, level headed, and organised, who is also in good shape physically and isn't going to start gushing the moment they see us coming.” Ladybug sighed dejectedly. “Do you know anyone like that Chat? Because I don't think I do.”

“Yes.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah!” Chat bounced excitedly. “I have this friend, she'd be perfect! She's always drawing and making stuff, and she loves helping other people! She'd have no problem keeping her head in a fight either, I've seen her sometimes on the fringe of attacks helping to herd people out of the danger zone. And I know she's in good shape because she's always running everywhere! Admittedly that's because she's usually running late, but that just means if she does help us no-one will be surprised if she doesn't show up on time where they expect her to be.”

“Maybe... but we wanted someone organised, remember? Always running late doesn't sound very organised, and we don't want to cause problems for our new team-mate.”

“No no, it's fine! She just tends to over-sleep a lot, I've never heard anything about her struggling to get school stuff done. I think she stays up pretty late most nights, making stuff, like I said. I swear, every other day she shows up with some new accessory she's made for herself or a friend. She's awesome.”

Ladybug considered, staring into the distance. “And you're sure she wouldn't get star-struck? I know the whole 'super-hero' thing can be a bit...”

“Pfft, no,” Chat interrupted with a chuckle. “I've run into her a few times as Chat, and she just treats me like any other guy. Well, I mean she was a little star-struck the first time, but she got over it quickly. I think you'd really like her LB!”

“She sounds perfect, Chat,” She smiled. “Do you think you could approach her about it soon? I'd rather have the new Fox lined up before we need them, you know?”

“Sure! It's a bit late to go tonight, but I can go tomorrow and let you know this weekend.”

“Thanks Kitty,” Ladybug sighed, leaning into his shoulder, “I'm glad I can always count on you.”

Chat wrapped his arm around her with a contented hum. “Any time, Bugaboo.” Ladybug and Marinette were going to get along like a house on fire, he just knew it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, when I first posted this story I figured a few people would read it, one or two might have a comment to share, and maybe a dozen or so would leave kudos. Two months later, I have nearly 200 kudos (which are still coming) 16 comments, 16 bookmarks, 27 subscriptions to the story, and 2 to me as an author. I'm completely blown away. Thank you so much, I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Adrien took a deep breath. He could do this. It was just Marinette. He knew her, she was his friend. He could do this. “Marinette, we need to talk.”

“About what Chat Noir?”

“Well, you know how sometimes Ladybug and I have help during Akuma fights?”

“Of course! My best friend, Alya, you know her right? She runs the Ladyblog, and always gets so excited to see the other heroes! Rena Rouge is her favourite!”

“Um, right.” Adrien frowned, annoyed. “Well, one of the people we usually go to for that can't do it anymore, and I was wondering if you would be interested in helping us out.”

“Really?! Oh wow, this is such an honour! I mean, I'm already really busy, what with working, and school, and being completely unable to ever say 'no' when someone asks me for a favour, even when I already have other commitments, but of course, I'd be happy to help! Do you need me right now? Did you bring the Miracle thingy? Ooh, what's my power going to be?!”

“Oh, come on! That didn't sound anything like her!”

Plagg cackled. “I know! I sounded way too coherent just now!”

“Plagg, this is serious!” Adrien huffed. “You're supposed to be helping me practice. This is the first time Ladybug has let me help with choosing a new team-mate, I can't afford to mess it up!”

Plagg shrugged. “I told you, I'm not so sure that Pigtails is the right person for the Fox. Maybe you should consider someone else.”

“No way, Marinette is perfect for this! She's smart, and capable, and Ladybug agrees with me!”

“Ladybug has no idea who you were talking about.”

“That's besides the point!” Adrien sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe I'm over-thinking this, I should just go over there and talk to her. I mean, what's the worst that could happen, right?”

“Well, for one thing-”

“Claws Out!”

Chat Noir jumped out of Adrien's window and bound across the familiar Parisian rooftops. It didn't take long to reach the bakery. He paused on the rooftop opposite her balcony and noted that Marinette's light was on, which meant she was probably awake, but the rest of the house was dark, so her parents probably weren't.

Purrfect.

A moment later he was crouching on her balcony, peering through her skylight. Yup, she was awake. Good.

Chat took a deep breath. No point putting it off, he just needed to get her attention and start talking.

_Tap tap tap._

“Good evening Purrincess, can I come in? I need to talk to you.”

-

Marinette stared up at the face peering through her skylight with wide eyes. “C-Chat Noir? What..?” What was he doing here? He was supposed to be going to talk to his friend tonight!

“Please Marinette? It's really important.”

She swallowed nervously, reached up, and opened the window. “Is there an akuma after me?”

“Uh, no. No, nothing like that. But, um... kind of related?”

“Related? To the akuma?” No, no, please no, it couldn't be, there was no way, he didn't mean-

“Look, can I please come in? I really need to talk to you.”

He did. He really actually did. “Sure.” She moved back to let him slide into the room, mind frozen in a silent scream. He stood awkwardly, obviously trying to decide how to start. She should say something, anything, break the silence and get this over with. “... Did you want a snack? From the bakery? I'm sure I could find something...”

“Um, no. No thank you. Normally I'd love something, but I probably shouldn't stay too long. This is kind of official business, you know?”

“Right. So, um, what's up?” Why was this happening? Of all the people he knew why did he have to pick-

Wait a minute.

“Right, well, you know how sometimes...”

He'd picked _her._ Spoken about her with the kind of familiarity that couldn't have come from the few interactions her civilian self had had with her partner.

“...but it's not working out, so we need someone else to...”

He'd mentioned her running late for class and making things for her friends, knew enough about her _homework habits_ to know she usually turned the assignments in on time...

“...I think you'd be a really good fit! It wouldn't be, like, full time or anything...”

…He went to her school. Chat Noir went to her school, and knew her well enough to call her a friend. It was the only thing that made any sense, and it made her want to scream all over again.

“...So, what do you say? Think you can help us out?”

Marinette looked into her Kitty's earnest expression, and tried desperately not to think about how many blond boys she knew. It wasn't a long list. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Chat's expression slowly fell, before he rallied with a small smile that she refused to admit was even slightly familiar.

“I know this is a little over-whelming.” He said softly “It's a lot to take in. Just, promise me you'll think about it? I'll come see you tomorrow so we can talk things over. Wish I could give you more time, but I sort of promised Ladybug I'd have your answer by patrol on Saturday.”

She nodded numbly, and watched him climb up to her balcony. How was she going to get out of this one?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, a huge thank you to my brothers for being my betas and putting up with my rambling!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note, I try to keep my stories clean, and I will never put up anything I would be uncomfortable with my 8 year old reading, so I would prefer if people didn't swear in the comments. Comments with swearing, no matter how respectful otherwise, will be deleted. Thank you for understanding.

Marinette was not panicking. Nope. Definitely not. Nothing to see here. She was calm, she was collected. She was-

“Tikki, what do I do?!”

OK, so maybe she was panicking a little.

“You have to turn him down Marinette, there's no way you can be both the Fox and Ladybug-”

“I know that! That's not what I meant!”

The little kwami tilted her head nervously. “Then what did you mean? Do about what?” Marinette waved her arms wildly.

“He knows me! Which means I know him! But I'm not supposed to know! What do I do!?!”

“Calm down!” Tikki floated in front of her face. “It's OK, Marinette. He's probably just a customer in the bakery or something. Just try not to think about it.”

“You don't get it Tikki, he goes to my school!” Marinette started to pace. “Of course he does, it makes so much sense! That's why he always shows up so quickly when someone in my class is akumatized, and how he was even there for Horrificator, and, and- Tikki, I only know, like, four blonds at school, and three of them are girls!”

“Marinette, breathe! You're thinking about this too much, just focus on something else.”

“I'm trying! I'm trying not to think about it, but now it's all I can think about! I know him and he thinks of us as friends and I only actually know one blond boy but it can't be him, because he's perfect, and Chat is such a flirt, and they just can't be the same person! So what if they're both kind, and brave, and selfless, and, and- oh my gosh, Chat Noir is totally Adrien isn't he?”

“Ummm...”

Marinette grabbed a pillow to muffle her scream.

-

Adrien was not worried about Marinette. Despite her tendency to babble semi-incoherently, there was a strength to her which always shone though when it really mattered. He expected his visit last night would make her a little jumpier than usual today, but she was so quick to adapt to new situations he was sure it would be fine.

So when he walked into the locker room at school he was both nervous and excited to see his (hopefully) soon-to-be new team-mate, but definitely not worried.

“Hi Marinette!”

Maybe he should have worried a little bit.

Marinette took one look at him and shrieked before bolting from the room, leaving her books behind.

Everyone stared.

“Dude,” Nino asked, stepping up beside him. “What did you do to get that reaction?”

“...I have no idea.”

-

The rest of the day didn't go very well. Marinette was clearly agitated, and jumped whenever anyone spoke to her. The few times Adrien dared to approach, she squeaked something about the bathroom, and then disappeared for half an hour. He was at a loss. If she was avoiding Chat Noir he could understand, but Adrien? What had he done as Adrien to warrant such a drastic change?

By the time he landed on her balcony for the promised talk that night, he was starting to think that maybe Plagg had been right. Maybe asking his shy class-mate to join the super-hero team wasn't such a good idea after all. But he'd promised Ladybug he'd try, and he couldn't back out now.

“Hi Marinette.”

“Ch-Chat!” He felt his ears droop at the way she flinched when she saw him. Her eyes were wide, her posture stiff, and she wouldn't meet his gaze. Chat realised with a sinking feeling that he already knew what she was going to say.

“...The answer's no, isn't it.”

Marinette's mouth moved silently for a moment, then her eyes dropped down to the floor. “I-I'm sorry,” She whispered. “I can't.”

“...I don't suppose I could say anything that would change your mind.”

She shook her head. “You have to know, I did think about it. I spent all day thinking about it, and I just-”

“It's OK, you don't have to explain yourself to me.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't be.” He smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You're an amazing person Marinette, that's why I chose you for this, but I know it's asking a lot.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze before letting his arm drop. “I'm sorry if I upset you, I didn't mean to make you feel pressured or anything.”

They stood in awkward silence for a moment, neither looking at the other, both with no idea what to say. Finally, Chat cleared his throat.

“So, I should go. Thanks for... Well, for hearing me out, I guess. I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd hidden until I went away. Or, I don't know, thrown me off the balcony or something.” He turned to leave, but she stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Wait. It doesn't seem right to send you off with nothing. At least take a croissant for the road?”

He flashed her a smile that was only partly fake. “Well, since you're offering, how could I say no?”

Leaving a few minutes later, with a pastry bag in his hand, he let the smile fall. Marinette had said no, and he respected her too much to not respect her decision. But this left him with a bit of a problem.

How was he going to face Ladybug, knowing that she had been counting on him, and tell her that he had failed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter did not want to be written. I knew what I wanted to happen, but getting it to come out sounding right was a big pain. As always a huge thank you to my brothers!


	4. Chapter 4

Ladybug sat on the roof of Notre Dame, huddled in on herself. Chat would be there any minute, and she still didn't know what she was going to say to him. Should she tell him she knew? How would she explain without revealing who she was? Tikki still wanted her to keep her identity a secret, but was there even any point hiding it any more? And if she told him, how would he react? Would he be upset? Happy? Angry?

...Would he still like her once he knew?

That was the part that her brain kept getting stuck on. Chat had made no secret about his crush on Ladybug, but he'd also been clear – on both sides of the mask – that Marinette was just a friend. So, if he found out they were the same person, would he feel differently?

Did she feel differently? Knowing that her pun-loving partner was also her crush, was she still in love with him? She'd always thought Chat was dorky, but sweet and honest. Hadn't that been what had attracted her to Adrien in the first place? His awkward honesty, and kindness?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a heavy-sounding thump behind her. She turned.

“Hello Ladybug.”

Chat didn't look like himself tonight. His ears were drooping, and his tail dragged on the ground. It was rare for her to see him looking so dejected. She tried to ignore the uncomfortable weight that settled in her stomach. “Chat. How did it go with your friend?” She wasn't supposed to know yet, not until he told her.

“She turned it down.”

“Oh. It's OK Kitty,” Maybe it was OK for her to know and not him for now. It wasn't like she'd uncovered his identity on purpose. 

“There is someone else we can try,” He said tentatively. “A boy in my class. I don't actually know him that well – he kind of keeps to himself, you know? But he's an amazing artist, likes to draw superhero comics in his spare time.”

Does he mean Nathaniel? She shook her head. “There's no rush Chat, we have time to think of something else.” He'd probably agree to help eagerly enough, but she couldn't see Nathaniel handling the stress that well.

Chat's shoulders slumped in defeat. “I'm really sorry LB.” Her heart ached for him. She can see it now, Adrien's face peering out from behind Chat's mask. He looks so upset with himself, and it's all her fault. Secret identities are still important, but there had to be some way to make him feel better.

“It isn't your fault Kitty, you can't force Marinette to accept this life. She made her own choice.”

Chat nodded for a moment, then stiffened. He turned his head slowly to face her. “...How did you know it was Marinette?”

“Ummmm...” It's on the tip of her tongue to lie to him. To laugh it off and tell him that Marinette told her – didn't he remember her saying they were friends before? It wouldn't be the first time she lied to protect her identity from him, but that was before she knew who he was. He's staring at her in surprise, confused, and it's Chat Noir's mask but all she can see is Adrien's face.

“I...” She has to say something, anything, and she has to do it right now. The confusion is starting to melt off his face – his gorgeous, handsome, kissable face. (And there's no use denying it now – she's definitely still in love with her dorky kitten.) She can see hurt flashing in his eyes as he comes to probably the worst conclusion, and he's Chat, but he's also Adrien and she can't do that to him.

_Screw secret identities. _“Spots off!”__

Chat clapped a hand over his eyes as Ladybug was washed away by soft pink light. “What are you doing?!”

Ignoring the shrill _“I thought we talked about this!” _in her ear, she calmly pried Chat's hands from his face. “Look at me Chat.”__

____

____

He shook his head, eyes still squeezed shut. “You don't want me to know!”

“Maybe I changed my mind.”

“Don't do this,” He murmured, “Don't tell me now just because you feel guilty or something. This was my screw up, you don't owe me anything-”

“I owe you _everything _Adrien.”__

____

____

His eyes snapped open, and he gaped. “Wha- M-Marinette?!”

She offered him a sheepish smile. “Hi Kitty.”

“But you- I don't- How did-”

“Once I realised you had to be in my class, it was kind of obvious.”

“...Oh...” Absently she noted Tikki settling down a small distance away, to give them some privacy, but she kept her eyes on Chat's shocked face.

“...I'm sorry about school today,” She said awkwardly. Had she made a mistake telling him like this? Was he going to hate her now? “I panicked.” Please, please don't let him hate her. She could handle him not loving her anymore, but not loosing his friendship. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah, yeah I just- It's you. All this time... but of course it is. It's so obvious now!” He laughed, and Marinette perked up hopefully. If he was laughing then he couldn't be too mad, right? “I can't believe I finally got the chance to pick a new team-mate, and I chose the one I already had!”

“To be fair, you were right about me being good at this.”

Chat doubled over, laughing harder, and Marinette joined him. He wasn't upset, she hadn't ruined what they had! They laughed until they both had tears streaming down their faces, leaning against each other, and eventually coming to rest cuddled together in comfortable silence. Adrien dropped his transformation, and Plagg had just enough time to yell, “Well it's about time!” before Tikki dragged him away. The pair shared a look, and descended into giggles again.

As the giggles subsided Marinette snuggled closer into her partner's side, content with this moment. Tomorrow she would worry about confessing her feelings. Tomorrow she would try to build something new with her beautiful dork of a Kitty. For now, she would enjoy his warmth and just be.

“You know,” Adrien piped up, braking the silence. “We still need to pick someone for the Fox.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's done! I hope everyone enjoyed reading, I probably put way too much effort into this for something that started as a joke. Sorry if it seems a bit rushed, I just really wanted to get this finished.
> 
> Once again, thank you to my brothers for beta reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thank you to me brothers for being my sounding boards and beta readers. There might be another chapter to this, haven't decided yet.


End file.
